Taiwanese experience from SARS crucial to delivering GWO during Covid-19

GWO training providers preparing to re-open following the relaxation of Covid-19 lock-down must adapt their lesson plans to ensure learning transfer, while maintaining safe social distancing, experts said today.

In the first edition of GWO's Training in the Pandemic Expert Series Webinars, guest panelists from Taiwan's National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology provided a guided tour of their facility and steps taken to minimise contamination between employees and participants.

NKUST revealed how they have adapted facilities and procedures to deliver GWO training at 100% capacity during the Pandemic. The University implemented a unique QR-code based track and trace system, PPE santisation procedures, automated temperature checking and a variety of other measures, helping to maintain a safe environment for employees and participants.

"We train over 8000 sea men every year at our Marine training centre and now several hundred in GWO training," said Chun Lien Su, Professor at NKUST with overal responsibility for the GWO training centre. "We learned a great deal from the SARS epidemic in 2003 both as a society and as a University. Today, we operate in a way that can successfully minimise contamination, while helping us deliver GWO training to those who require it."

Plan and expect longer lessons

One of the key takeaways from the session was how adaptations to some GWO lessons to maintain social distancing, could mean lessons take longer. GWO has advised employing the use of mannequins for elements of the Working at Height module, for example the rescue and evacuation lessons.

Lukasz Dulka, GWO instructor and consultant to NKUST, explained the potential changes you can expect. "We are training a full class of 12 participants and for these modules, the requirement to hoist a mannequin into position and other aspects of the lessons mean that we are taking somewhat longer to complete the module. Because the lessons take longer, this has a knock on effect to the requirement for breaks could mean up to an hour of additional time. However, it is very important we take these measures because the safety of instructors and delegates cannot be compromised."

GWO's Expert Series Webinars continue next week, where we will speak to European Wind Academy about their experiences Training in the Pandemic from Poland.

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